Vehicle liner and method



July 28, 1,964 FORD 3,142,265

' VEHICLE LINER AND METHOD Filed Sept. 23, 1960 g ALONG- THIS LINE g I,i

zo I f9" NAIL ALONG THIS LIN United States Patent 3,142,265 VEHICLELINER AND METHOD Michael J. Ford, Hartsdale, N.Y., assignor of one-halfeach to International Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation ofNew York, and The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn, a corporation ofConnecticut Filed Sept. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 58,118 1 Claim. (Cl. 105-423)This invention relates to a vehicle liner and method of fabrication andinstallation thereof, and, more particularly, to a liner for freightvehicles such as boxcars, trucks, etc. The liner structure is useful forupgrading or repairing lined vehicles and also in the construction ofnew cars.

The resent application is a continuation-in-part of my copendingapplications Serial No. 760,012, filed September 9, 1958 and Serial No.819,996, filed June 12, 1959, both applications now abandoned.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive sturdy linerstructure which may be applied with a minimum of labor in theconstruction of freight vehicles or for the repair or relining of thevehicles. Another object is to provide effective means for rapidlylining a stud-equipped vehicle so as to provide a sturdy and resilientlining adapted for the handling of granular and case materials, etc. Afurther object is to provide a liner structure in which metal straps aresupported within the fibrous walls of a board for supporting the linerand providing a sturdy liner overspace in the freight vehicle wall. Astill further object is to provide a method for the fabrication of linerpanels and the use thereof for relining of cars at a minimum of cost andwhile providing an exceptionally sturdy lining therefor. Other objectsand advantages of the invention will be seen in the details ofconstruction and operation as set down herein.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

'FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a boxcarshowing applied to the car a lining embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view of the structure of the linerapplied to the car;

FIG. 3 is a broken elevational sectional view of the liner employed, and

FIG.' 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of apparatus for constructingthe inventive liner.

In the illustration given, A designates generally a railway boxcarhaving a doorway provided with a door frame A. The car A has a floor 10,walls 11, and vertical studs 12 extending at spaced distances about thecar.

One difficulty in the lining of a car using standard sized panels isthat the boxcars, etc., vary slightly in dimensions and it is necessarythat the panels provide a complete closure for the retaining of granularmaterial, etc. within the car. In the practice of my invention, I applyto each corner of the car a partially folded sealing strip 13 havingwide side flaps 14, and such a vertical strip is nailed to the studs 12at each corner of the car, as illustrated in FIG. 1. With thisstructure, the side flaps 14 provide a substantial area for receivingthe overlapping portion of the panels 15 so as to make up for anyirregularity in the length of the car.

The vertical right angle strips 13 may be formed of a single core,two-faced corrugated board, scored in the center to provide the rightangle shape, and the piece may then be nailed into place as indicated inFIG. 1. While I prefer a single corrugated board structure, it will beunderstood that any other suitable folded piece may be employed for thispurpose.

The panel 15 may be constructed as shown in FIGS. 2

r 3,142,265 Patented July 28, 1964 and 3. In this structure, verticallyspaced, horizontallyextending metal straps 16 are secured within thepanel. The panel 15 includes an inner liner 17 and a pair of corrugatedcores 18 and 19. An outer liner 20 is bonded to the outer core 19, andthe two cores are united through a central liner 21. It will beunderstood that the central liner 21 may consist of a single sheetuniting the two cores 18 and 19, or it may consist of two liners 21bonded together.

The metal straps 16 may be formed of any suitable metal which willeffectively hold nails and support the liner structure while anchoringthe liner effectively to the studs 12. For this purpose, a nail 22 isdriven through the inner liner 17, the end of a strap 16, the core 18,and the remaining portion of the panel 15 (i.e., liners 21 and 2t andthe core 19 included therebetween), and into the stud 12 so as to anchorthe liner panel 15 firmly to the studs and to the frame of the car. Itwill be understood that other forms of fastening elements may beemployed. The straps 16 may be formed of steel, aluminum, aluminumalloy, or any metal which will hold the nail when it is driventherethrough and thus secure the panel firmly in position. Imperforatemalleable steel, andeven tin may be employed so as to permit nailingdirectly through the strap and into the stud, thus anchoring the panelfirmly in place.

While I have shown the liner structure 15 applied to the stud 12 of anew car, it will be understood that the liner may be applied to old carstructures and particularly to a wood liner with which many old cars areequipped. If such wood liner has holes or openings therein, the linerpanel 15 may be secured thereover to reline the structure and to preventthe escape of granular material through such openings.

For the rapid lining of a car such as illustrated, I prefer to form theliner panels in standard size heights and widths so that they may benailed in position to the studs 12, as shown in FIG. 1. Starting withthe doorpost frame A, the panel 15 is secured in position, and then asecond panel is secured so as to extend toward the end of the car andinto overlapping relation with the V-shaped strips 13. Even though thesecond panel 15 does not go to the end of the car, it overlaps the wing14 of the vertical strip 13 so that it forms therewith a complete seal.

For the ends of the car, normally a slightly wider panel 15a is employedand the varying widths of the railway boxcar are compensated for by thewings 14 of the member 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the side panels 15 aresupported above the floor 10 by 2 x 4 spacers, as are the strips 13. Thespacers are removed after the panels are installed, and this develops anescape space E for grain that overflows the top of the panels. The endpanels 15a are installed flush with the floor.

By way of illustration, for a 40-foot boxcar, usually referred to as a40 boxcar size, the liner panel 15 may be 8 feet wide and 4 /2 feethigh. The scored V-shaped member 13 at the corners may be 9 feet high by2 feet wide. The panels 15 may be secured one above the other to form a9 foot high liner, and, as stated, the ends of the liner units near thecorner will be received within the 9 foot high centrally scored member13. In the ordinary case, the end panels 15a may be 4 /2 feet high by 9feet wide.

By employing the metal straps 16 as illustrated, it is found that thecorrugated board liners can be effectively anchored in position and heldagainst dislodgement by the nails 22, while at the same time the panelstructure provides a cushioning structure which protects the cargo itemsbeing shipped against damage. Further, in the event any portion of aliner panel 15 is damaged or broken, the liner can be readily removedand replaced,

amazes or, alternatively, patched portions can be secured in positionover such openings.

In installation, the nails 22 pass through the corrugated cores 18 and19, liners 17, 20 and 21, and through the ends of the straps 16 so as tofirmly clamp the board panel against the stud or frame. It is found thatthe cores 1S and 19 of the corrugated board yield under the nailheads soas to be slightly indented, as in a tufting operation, and leave theinner liner surface 17 substantially even throughout so that the nailsare not projecting for engagement with the merchandise carried in thevehicle. At the same time, the metal straps 16 serve to lock the entireboard firmly in position and also provide a reinforcing, weightedcarrying support for the portions of the board extending between thestuds or over openings in the frame.

In the assembly operation for the panels 15 and 15a, relativelyunskilled labor may be used and still achieve rapid installation. As canbe seen from FIG. 3, I prefer to have imprinted upon the inner liner 17longitudinal stripes 23 indicating the position of the straps 16 so thatthe installer can see where the nails are to be driven. Even though thefreight vehicles vary slightly in length, the installer has nodifiiculty in securing a good seal because the wide wing portions 14 ofthe vertical corner strips 13 overlap the edges of the panel 15 toprovide the necessary seal.

In the use of the various structures, repair is readily accomplished.The portion of the board which is damaged may be readily cut out and aninsert placed within the cut-out portion and tape employed to cover theedges of the insert and the liner. For example, where a portion of theboard has been damaged, a segment about the damaged portion may be cutout so as to remove all of the damaged area. The removed area isemployed as a template to cut a repair portion, which is then slippedinto place and taped in position. This can be accomplished with orwithout the metal strap reinforcement.

The fibrous portions of the liner advantageously may be impregnated witha moistureproofing agent. A suitable agent for this purpose is anadhesive marketed under the tradename Stabind by the A. E. Staley Mfg.Co., of Decatur, Illinois. This also serves to unite the liners with thecorrugated cores. Optionally, this may be provided as part of theadhesive bonding the various sheets and cores together. In thefabrication of the inventive liner panel, the various sheets and strapsare advanced in continuous form through a pressing section P-l.Intermediate sheets are contemporaneously corrugated to provide the corebodies 18 and 19, and simultaneously with the formation of the compositepanel, the inner liner sheet 17 may be imprinted with indicia as at P-2for positioning of the securing nails.

By providing the fluting of both cores to run in a vertical direction, Ifind that substantially fewer straps are required than are employed inthe conventional grain car door. Further, the employment of malleableimperforate straps makes possible the use of less metal, since thestraps are not weakened by pre-punching. When the imperforate straps 16are pierced by a securing nail, the tang-like portions developed therebybite into the remainder of the panel to keep the metal reinforcingmember from separating from the core under the repeated buffetingnormally encountered in transit. This then preserves the overallintegrity of the panel, especially against delaminating.

Although delamination is effectively prevented, as mentioned above, acertain amount of strap freedom within the panel is achieved bypositioning the straps adjacent the flutes of the corrugated core. Thestraps are adhesively united to the peaks of the flutes of the core, andthus can shift slightly relative to the remainder of the panel when anexceptional stress is encountered. However, the straps are firmly unitedto the innermost liner 17, and promote the integrity of this liner. Theliner 17 is desirably impregnated with a moistureproofing agent, andwhen the car interiors are washed down, there is no undesirabledelamination. Here, it will be appreciated that a liner installation maywell last as long as the previously-employed wooden liners. With achange of lading, it is not unusual for the carrier or the shipper towash down the interior of the car so as to rid the car of any dust orother refuse material.

In addition to reinforcing the inner liner 17, the straps operateadvantageously in acting as media for fastening the panel to the sidewalls of the car. They also act as washers or surface material for thenail or staple employed to secure the panel to the wall. Still further,the straps act as a snap lock for the staple or nail to prevent it fromworking out into the lading on subsequent loadings. The imperforatestrapping becomes indented, giving a tufting effect, and, in so doing,the steel strapping closes down on the diameter of the hole and crimpsdown on the leg of the staple or the shank of the nail, as the case maybe, thus preventing these potential claimcausing attachments fromdamaging the lading.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth specificstructures in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating theinvention, it will be understood that the details of construction andprocedure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

In combination with a freight vehicle having side and end wallsproviding corners,

(A) a vertical V-shaped member secured within each corner and havingwing portions extending along the side and end of the car, and

(B) a liner panel having an end portion extending in overlappingrelation to the wing portion of said vertical member,

(i) said panel having at least two corrugated cores arranged inface-to-face relation,

(ii) a liner sheet adhesively secured to each core face,

(iii) a plurality of flat imperforate metal straps extending inspaced-apart, parallel relation perpendicularly to the flutes of saidcores and positioned interiorly of said panel and in contact with theliner sheet innermost of said vehicle, and nail means extending throughsaid straps securing said panel to said vehicle.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,803,617 Hummel May 5, 1931 2,595,087 Leslie Apr. 29, 1952 2,710,134Schroeder et a1 June 7, 1955 2,794,761 Williamson June 4, 1957 2,966,214Ford Dec. 27, 1960 2,966,438 Ford Dec. 27, 1960

